5S6 ANNUAL REGISTER, 1816. 



We ali^o e:ot close to n small 

 globe or bubble (the i)lain was 

 full of tlieia of different sizes) 

 and observed it closely for some 

 time. It appeared to heave and 

 swell, and when the internal air 

 liad raiseil it to some heig;ht, it 

 buist and fell down in loiicei^tric 

 circles, in wh'cli shape it remained 

 quiet until a sufficient quantity of 

 air was aj^ahi formed internally 

 to laise and binst another bubble. 

 This continued at intervals from 

 about one-half to two minutes. 

 Fi'om various other p:ii ts of the 

 (juagmire round the huge globes 

 or bubbles, thei'e were occasion- 

 ally small quantities of mud shot 

 up like I'ockets to the height of 

 twenty or thirty feet, and accom- 

 panied by smoko. This was in 

 jnirts where the mud was of too 

 stilf a consistency to rise in globes 

 or bubbles. 'J"he mud at all the 

 places we came near was cold on 

 tile wifi^ce, Ijut we were tidd it 

 was warm beneath. 'J'hc water 

 which drains from the mud is 

 collected by the Javanese, and by 

 being exposed in the hollows of 

 split bamboos to the rajs of the 

 Sim, de))osits crystals of salt. 

 The salt thus made is reserved 

 exclusively for the Emperor of 

 Solo. In dry Aveather it yields 

 thirty dudjius of (nin hundi'cd rat- 

 tu's each, every month, but in wet 

 or cloudy weather less. 



In the aftei'noon we rode to a 

 place in a forest called Kamsam, 

 to view a salt lake, a mud hillock, 

 and various boiling or I'ather bub- 

 bling pools. The lake was about 

 half a mile in circiup.ference, of a 

 dirty looking water, boiling up all 

 over in gurgling bodies, but more 

 particuhuly in the centre, which 

 appeared like a strong spring; 



the water was quite cold, and 

 tasted bitter, salt, and sour, and 

 had an offensive smell. About 

 thirty yards from the lake stood 

 the mud hillock, which was ab<nit 

 fifteen feet high from the level of 

 the earth. The diameter of its 

 base was about twi'uty-five yards, 

 and it* toj) aliout eight feet and 

 in form an exact cone. The top 

 is open, ami the interior keeps 

 constantly working and heaving 

 up mud in globular forms, like 

 the Bhuhigs. The hillock is en- 

 tirely formed of mud which has 

 flowed out of the top ; every rise 

 of the nmd was accompanied by 

 a rumbling noise from the bottom 

 of the hillock, which was dis- 

 tinctly heard for some seconds 

 befoie the bubbles burst. The 

 outside of the hillock Avas quite 

 Krm. ^\'e stood on the edge of 

 the opening- and sounded it, and 

 found it to be eleven fathoms 

 deep. The mud Avas more liquid 

 than at the Bludugs, and no 

 smoke was emitted from the lake, 

 hillock, or ])ools. 



Close to the foot of the hillock 

 Avas a small pool of the same 

 Avater as the lake Avhich appeared 

 exactly like a p'ot of Avater boiling 

 \iolently; it Avas shalloAv, excej)t 

 in the centre, into which Ave 

 thrust a stick twelve feet long, 

 but found no bottom. The hole 

 not being perpendicular Ave could 

 not sound it Avith v line. 



About tAVo hundred jards from 

 the lake Avere several large pools 

 or springs, tA\'o of Avhich Avcre 

 eight and ten feet in diameter. 

 They A^ere like the small pool, 

 but boiled more violently, and 

 smelt excessively. The ground 

 around them was hot to the feet, 

 and the aii' which issued fioni 



them 



